Two young professionals with promising careers become jobless and seek work where they can find it The two young men meet for the first time when they are among the few picked for an arduous day job There begins an adventure that takes them to a Jersey City railyard where they are introduced to the Hobo life by an enigmatic homeless man The story unfolds from there and follows the two as they settle in a small prosperous city in southern New York state The city serves as a transportation hub amid the blossoming oil and financial industries is home to a major university and tolerates the title of Little Chicago as a neutral ground for the Mafia The two young men gather a unique eclectic blend of new friends and embrace young old and culturally diverse people Life threatening situations arise when an old antagonist appears and a jealous competitor seeks revenge This piece of historical fiction from the annals of the Great Depression is a love story and a story of mystery and intrigue It is a story of humanity surviving hard hard times Hard Times You Say Smile This Is The Great DepressionI just reviewed Hard Times You Say Smile This Is The Great Depression by R Leslie Howe and gave it 5 stars Check it out Hard Times You Say Smile This Is The Great Depression Hard Times You Say Smile This Is The Great Depression is a historical action adventure tale about two friends who settle in a small New York state called Olean Originally Michael had a white collar job as a stock trader and Gunther a sophisticated and simple man owned his own bookstore and got by very well However when the stock market crashed on October 24 1929 the Great Depression introduced a new period of poverty joblessness and homelessness to America Both young men had to settle for low paying day jobs in Jersey City But after fending off new rivals together Michael and Gunther formed a close friendship and their adventures led them to Olean where they decided to stick around and see if they could make something of themselves In time they adjusted to life in Olean They got jobs started making new friends and found love interests there but trouble reared its ugly head once Anthony Volpe the Accounts Manager of the Exchange Bank is blackmailing Frank the president of the bank. Frank happens to be the father of Daisy She s the woman that Gunther has feelings for Anthony isn t a man to be trifled with He s not about to lose his bride to be Daisy to some simpleton Also Anthony has powerful connections with the Mafia Read this adventurous novel to find out if Gunther gets his girl in the end and what becomes of Anthony and his mob goons. This book is a pleasant combination of action adventure suspense and romance Gunther s character has a special place in my heart and I was rooting for him and his friend Michael right until the very end This novel is about fending off adversity even when the odds are against you It s about bravery honor and friendship It s about remaining steadfast even in the hardest of times It demonstrates that true friendships will get you through the worst moments of our life and that sincere friends will defend you no matter what the cost or consequence. Overall the novel is expertly written and the storyline is exciting and captivating I recommend this book to fans of historical action adventure fiction There s no doubt in my mind that this is one must read you won t want to miss out on Hard Times You Say Smile This Is The Great Depression Hard Times You Say Smile This Is The Great Depression by R Leslie Howe is about a sweet natured young man called Gunther who lost his parents at a young age due to a car accident Gunther is raised by his grandparents and after earning his degree decides to turn his grandfather s shop into a bookstore which turns out to be a success Until the unthinkable happens the economy crashes What was once a comfortable existence for many is now a terrible time for all Gunther forced to adapt to this new way of life scavenges for any work he can get When he meets Michael an educated well mannered man with whom he strikes a friendship Their friendship is cemented when the two decide to embark on a journey together Ignorant to the cruelties of the world the gentlemen find themselves caught up in a series of events fraught with danger and intrigue love and tragedy Will they regret their decision of leaving home or find the peace and happiness they so desperately crave Fast paced and action filled Hard Times You Say Smile This Is The Great Depression was a really moving story and R Leslie s description of the The Great Depression was so vivid that I felt that I was experiencing it for myself Also I found most of the characters quite interesting they carried their own identity which I enjoyed quite a lot seeing as they added their own line of drama to the story I especially enjoyed the character of Tom Tomkins he made me think of all the judging people do never realizing that everybody deserves the benefit of the doubt a second chance and I am thankful to Leslie for pointing that out I also found the novel s title quite catchy it was both humorous and ironic I recommend Hard Times You Say Smile This Is The Great Depression to fans of history and drama filled romance Hard Times You Say Smile This Is The Great Depression